Empires of the Monsoon (Paperback, Reissue)

Until Vasco da Gama discovered the sea-route to the East in 1497-9 almost nothing was known in the West of the exotic cultures and wealth of the Indian Ocean and its peoples. It is this civilisation, and its destruction at the hands of western invaders, that Richard Hall recreates in this book. Written with all the narrative power and keen analysis of the true storyteller, Hall shows how, from the sixteenth century onwards, the European presence changed the life of the Indian Ocean irrevocably. His history of exploration and exploitation – by Chinese and Arab travellers and later by the Portuguese, Dutch and British – is one of brutality, betrayal and colonial ambition. It is told with an eye for the exotic in a fine, unobtrusive style. It is a compelling and instructive epic.

‘A triumph: a first class comprehensive narrative of the impact upon the people of the Indian Ocean of those who penetrated it. It is hard to believe that this account of a European epic has any rival.’
J.M. ROBERTS, author of the 'Penguin History of the World'

‘'Empires of the Monsoon' is a panoramic study of the history of the Indian Ocean and the destruction of its traditional trade by colonial Europe… Its major achievement is to weave into a coherent whole the histories of a kaleidoscope of civilisations and peoples… 'Empires of the Monsoon' reads like some mediaeval Books of Wonders, rich with exotic improbabilities… It is all gripping stuff, dizzily ambitious in its scope and full of some of the oddest facts imaginable.’
WILLIAM DALRYMPLE, 'Independent'

‘A panoramic account of the Indian Ocean and its invaders… combining scholarly zeal with a good journalist’s flair for selection and narrative. This book is full of fascinating information.’
JOHN GRIGG, 'Sunday Telegraph'

‘Hall’s lively compendium is rich in bloodthirsty sultans, swashbuckling pirates, hypocritical imperialists and serendipitous Sinbads… He is an enthusiastic storyteller who can hold you with his glittering eye.’
FELIPE FERNANDEZ-ARMESTO, 'Sunday Times'

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